films that have won major awards and become international hits. in her movies, some eight feature films in all, from her best—known bend it like beckham... no—one can cross a ball or bend it like beckham. ..to her more recent musical drama blinded by the light... stay away from the girls! ..she has brought the screen to life with authentic stories using appealing actors, music... # she's a lady! ..and humour to portray british asian life. the asian experience in the uk has long been herfocus. born in nairobi, gurinder chadha came to the uk as a young child and grew up in southall in west london, home to a big asian community. i'm always in southall, still got the best kebabs anywhere in london, and i've got relatives there — and of course the sikh temples

are there, and i do, you know, it's where i grew up, really, it's where all of my films are shot. she began her career as a broadcastjournalist. in 1989 she made the first of several documentaries called i'm british but... — it showed the new generation of young asians in the uk. i see myself as british — maybe, well, welsh, isuppose. i've always wanted to meet gurinder chadha. her movies have made me laugh and cry. as a person, she is just like herfilms — warm, open, funny, optimistic and generous. she invited me into her london home and we spent the better part of a day delving into herfilms and discussing what makes her tick as a film—maker. # move on up... hello and welcome to talking movies, i'm tom brook. today, i'm in london, in soho — still to some extent the heart of the uk film and tv industry — to bring you an interview with british asian film—maker gurinder chadha.

too often in the past, her accomplishments have been unsung but she's been a major force in modern british cinema. in fact, she's the most prolific female film—maker in the uk today. this year marks the 20th anniversary of bend it like beckham, her most successful film. it became a real international hit and it has the distinction of being the only western—made film ever to be shown on north korean television. i'm joining a girls�* team. huh? bend it like beckham is the story ofjess, an 18—year—old played by parminder nagra, from a traditional punjabi family... aloo gobi. ..who wants to play football, much to the dismay of her parents. that's it! no more football. i want you to learn full punjabi dinner — meat and vegetarian. but dad! jules, portrayed by keira knightley... hi! ..plays for a local women's amateur football team and takes note ofjess�*s talent and befriends her. should come along and have a trial.

trial? you think i'm good enough? as this upbeat comedy progresses, it deals with a host of issues... indian girls aren't supposed to play football. ..some connected to race, prejudice, class, gender and sexuality. being a lesbian is not that big a deal. oh, no! in many ways, it was a film ahead of its time. this has taken me away from everything i know. bend it like beckham is also the highest grossing football film in history. cut! gurinder, welcome to talking movies. i don't have to tell you it is the 20th anniversary of bend it like beckham, and people do view that movie that you made as really being a landmark picture. why do you think that is? what do people say to you about it? people are very effusive, full of affection for it, because it meant a lot of things to a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. my mum's never wanted me to play.

you just can't take no for an answer. it hasa gay element... it has a gay element... i haven't told anyone. but you're indian! it is about race... this isjess. ..it is about being part of a diaspora... jess? is that indian? it's reallyjesminder_ but only my mum calls me that. on lots of levels, i think it appealed to people and particularly to diasporas around the world. you know how hard it is for our children over here? in addition to that, it came outjust after 9/11 and i think the world was sort of in freefall. you know, people were sort of worried about how were people going to live together and be together, and then this innocent film comes along, inviting you into the home of a sort of british sikh family, you know? and you realise after a few laughs that actually, they're very similar to your own family. do you really want to be the one that everyone stares at, at every family do, because you married

the english bloke? it is not a sort of hitting you on the head movie. it's a very subversive movie about racism and tolerance... i've never complained. ..and the effects of racism on one generation... on the contrary, i vowed that i will never play again. ..and how a different generation has to accept that, acknowledge that, but then find their own way. and if i can't tell- you what i want now, then i will never be i happy whatever i do. and there's not a lot of films that do that! or were definitely not doing that at the time! if all of the relatives can look like they're acting and playing natural and not smiling at the camera... and what for you was the spark that really got bend it like beckham going as a narrative in your mind? what happened was in britain, football or soccer, you know, was very much a male domain. it was very aggressive,

it was associated with the right wing in terms of the national front and the use of the unionjack, you know, the british flag was sort of synonymous with the right. it was all "football hooliganism" as we called it, always fights on the terraces. and then, ian wright, one of our black players, after an england match ran onto the pitch with the unionjack, and that was such an arresting image for me. i mean, in that one moment, things changed for me. and i saw a different britain on the tv. and i wanted to run with that. i wanted to run with a different britain — with my britain. it was time for my britain to come, to be seen. although it is about football and soccer, it's really more about the sort of social changes at the time. not only that, there was this real idea of girl power at the time, with the spice girls and female empowerment

was coming up. and i also wanted to be part of that. # my independence day... you know, you have been able to move forward in your career by being very determined and being very feisty. where does that come from? when i was about 16, at school, i had wanted to go to university and i actually wanted to study what we called development economics and geography at the time, because geography was my favourite subject. and i went to the careers office and said, "this "is what i want to do, i want to go to university," and she looked at me and said "mmm, don't you think "you should apply to secretarial college?" and i was like, "why would i want to be a secretary?" and she said, "the world needs good secretaries". and ijust... in that moment, with that careers teacher, ijust thought, "you don't know me and you don't get me,

"and how dare you!" i could not say any of that and i did not know how to articulate any of that but that was the fire in me that said, "you have no expectation of me "and my ambition, and what i want, and i'm "going to show you". and i think that was it. from that moment, i've never taking no for an answer. and i keep pushing and i still push, you know? i could have a much easier life if i just went to america and directed the scripts that i get sent, you know? but i keep pushing the envelope to represent, you know, represent people that look like me and represent ideas and values from, you know, a perspective that is different. you want a clean—shaven boy like your sister? or a sikh with a full beard and a turban? after that comment, right,

you basically give a filthy look to the camera and walk back. what does it say about the film industry when you look at bend it like beckham, that keira knightley went on to become a breakout star but the other lead in the film, parminder nagra, didn't? i think it says everything you need to know about our industry. you know, keira was bankable. so, jerry bruckheimer cast her in the pirates of the caribbean series. pirate or not, this man saved my life. parminder did get some offers. john wells contacted me and asked me about her as a possible doctor in er, you know — so, she immediately got the la break and joined the cast of er. so, she had success too, but it's a shame that hollywood did not acknowledge that she could be a leading lady in the same way, and that is because asian leads are not seen as bankable — still to this day, i think that's true. what do you say, dad? don't play with your future.

did you feel that with bend it like beckham, your father and your relationship with your father was somehow manifested in the film? that is probably the core of the film, and if you're going to cry watching that film, you will cry because of that. make me proud. i had just lost my fatherjust before making the film and now, when i look back at the film, it's so emotional and it's made by somebody who is grieving. it is a film made in grief, you know? and i know that from my own, the way i've made films since. he just looks and then he... what i was exploring was exactly the pain that my father's generation had been through in orderfor me to be standing there at that moment, shooting a movie. she will only end up disappointed like me. when my dad first came

to britain — he had worked for barclays bank in kenya, and when he came to england in the �*60s with a turban and a beard, he had said, you know, "i'm going to go to barclays," and he went to the barclays bank in southall and they absolutely laughed their heads off when he went in and said, "do you honestly think we're "ever going to have someone who looks like you, "with a beard and a turban, work in our bank?" and they literally threw him out of the bank and then, he ended up cutting his hair and became a postman. when i was a teenager in nairobi, i was the best fast bowler in our school. and i took that story and made it about the east african cricket club in the movie. when i came to this country, nothing. i was not allowed to play in any of the teams and these clubhouses made fun of my turban and sent me off packing. but that is the true story of what happened with my dad. and therefore, at the very end, when finally she says, "i have got this opportunity. "i want to go," and the dad makes his big speech.

who suffered? me. you know, "i cannot hold you back. "that was my time. "i suffered because i lived in fear." i don't want her to make the same mistakes that her father made of accepting life and accepting situations. "it is wrong for me to put that fear on you and you have to go "out and make your own life and follow your own opportunities." and that is hugely emotional because that is about healing racism and that is about healing prejudice. because i have seen her playing. she is brilliant. you cannot stop your life if you live in an unfair world. you have to keep pushing forward. i don't think anyone has the right to stop her. you push forward not only for yourself but for everyone else. and that is why bend it like beckham is such an important film because it takes me and my community

and my world and my britishness and my asianess and everything into a massive sphere that has changed and influenced and been important to so many people around the world. over her 30—year career, she has been a real powerhouse, making shorts, documentaries, tv programmes and tv series and, of course, memorable vibrant feature films. from bride and prejudice, a bollywood—style version ofjane austen's pride and prejudice... only you could say you love me and insult me at the same time. ..to herfirst feature, bhaji on the beach in 1993. so what if she is pregnant? so what if the father is black? black!? which, with all its great characters i really loved. have a female fun time. it followed three generations of asian women on a day trip to blackpool. was that a bit intimidating at first?

you did not have much experience as a feature film director, did you? everybody, i don't care who they are, will tell you their first film is a complete baptism by fire. it is a nightmare. my films are always, from bhaji on, i always think about the community and moving the community forward while, at the same time, you know, i still have to protect my community. and so, i am always trying to include things for them and us, them and us, them and us, you know? and this all comes about from being one of the few asian women making films in britain today, that i am able to show these nuances and these cultural moments that go over a lot of people's heads. but they are of tremendous value to me and they're not necessarily considered by a lot of other people because they don't know. maybe in years to come, who knows? but at the moment, you know, while i'm working, ifind that

people don't always value what i do and ultimately, i guess, i'm aiming towards changing our world into one of being more tolerant and more understanding and more inclusive and more appreciative of the massive contribution of people who look and talk and feel different to you. it is interesting that you mention that because your films do deal with racism and prejudice and during the time which you've been making films, those problems haven't gone away and people would say, in some respects, they've got worse. so, is there a limit, do you think, to what cinema can achieve in terms of changing people's minds? well, i also talk about gender and homosexuality and female empowerment, you know? i mean, it's everything. and i think that things have changed. i think they are changing.

during the shot, i am panning down on one camera... i mean, the success of my film, the fact that everyone is talking about 20 years later is a massive indication of how things are changing. there's still an awfully long way to go but i am now seeing lots of credits of women and women of colour on screen. and while there's always room for improvement, i think it's important to acknowledge that, you know, we can make a change and we have made a change. how wedded are you to being part of british cinema? i mean, early in your career, did you feel the pull of america to take you to a new land where there would perhaps be bigger opportunities? when i had success in america with bhaji on the beach, i did get offered quite a lot of american movies but at that time, i did not quite know how to relate to them, and i met paul by then... your husband. i met paul my husband by then, yes. and then i decided, "well, if they want to make a film

"in america, why don't i make my own film? and with paul, we wrote our movie which was a very british film about los angeles. no—one knows it's me who made it. it's on every year on tv. it's about four families in los angeles who celebrate thanksgiving over the weekend. she is the mommy, she's the daddy and i'm the alcoholic cult—worshipping satanic stepmother. we're playing thanksgiving. but the idea was that i wanted to make a film about the los angeles that i was seeing around me, not the one that was on the big screen. the rest will cook itself. for me, going to la, i was just blown away by the different communities there... why do you want to make the turkey taste like everything else we eat? ..and not really seeing them on—screen and hence, i took my values from britain to la and made what's cooking? moving to a more sobering reality. i mean, how did the pandemic affect you as a film—maker

and a storyteller? do you think it has changed you? for me the pandemic was a game—changer because it made me sit back and really think about what is my purpose and why do i want to make films? and you better believe that whatever film you choose to make it should have some impact. mum, stop filming me! you always film me! before i was quite sort of — i used to push myself a lot. i think, post—lockdown, i calmed down and i stopped being quite so driven, if you you like. ijust said, "look" — i just accepted actually, a lot more of what's going to happen will happen. and i think that was the lesson of lockdown, really, because we were not really in control, so the lesson was to let go — let go of the stress of trying to compete or get your projects made to the point where you get

really stressed and just accept that things will happen the way they're going to happen. when you think about your work nowadays, are you just as enthusiastic about making a film as you were when you did bend it like beckham 20 years ago? i haven't changed. i am still incredibly motivated to push that envelope. you know, that's how i see it. i'm very keen to get back in the director's chair because i miss it. it's a buzz is to keep trying to shift people's perceptions and to, you know, make people understand the vagaries of culture and understand the damage that racism and prejudice do. so, for me — and also female empowerment, you know? we're still not out the woods on that, you know?

so, i am still very keen to make sure that my films have great female roles and that i show the world from my perspective because its still, sadly, a very under—represented world. when you think back on your life and career, what are you most proud of? i think what i'm most proud of the fact that i've made a difference to people's lives. whether it's a very small thing with someone just appreciating it personally, or on a bigger level. will you ever retire, do you think? i mean, i hope that i get carried off set. you know, i've keeled over going "cut! "do it again," or something. you know, i don't plan to retire — i don't think you can when you're creative. you never retire. the fact that people still talk about my work as being relevant, even though it was made a generation ago, is gratifying because it means

that i did move the dial a little bit, i moved that needle, i did make a change and i can't stop. i must keep going because that needle might have gone like that only to get over here. thank you very much indeed for talking to talking movies. thank you very much, tom. end lines of nessun dorma play. cheering.

hello. partly down to the gesturing pattern. we have described to our west and with this, get areas of low pressure firing towards the uk, bringing outbreaks of rain. no change expected from that. there is the rich pattern across southern europe bring this heatwave because air is forced down through the atmosphere with that jetstream confederation and that allows extreme heat to be trapped near the earth �*s surface. quite locally, 46 is not typical. one

or two areas and a similar story across sicily with 46 only across them inland areas. that is extremely cute. only a couple degrees away from the all—time temperature record for the two that come outbreaks of rain from this low pressure working eastwards. wednesday. really what we're looking at is a slowly improving weather picture. chile started the day for part of scotland and northern ireland. temperatures down in single figures but it is a day of showers. mostly around scotland and eastern areas of england. temperatures will continue to be a little below average for this time of yearfor below average for this time of year for most. below average for this time of yearfor most. for below average for this time of year for most. for wednesday evening, those daytime showers will fade away and we will be left with clearing skies. again with those clear skies, the wind dropping it in many places and turns quite chilly. some friends of the charts, cabbages getting down into single figures.

cool start to the day on thursday. it is another day where we will see a few showers p°ppin9 where we will see a few showers p°pping up where we will see a few showers popping up on the whole, not many. most showers up into the north of scotland. elsewhere, unlucky to see a shower. many of us will be dry through the day with some sunny spells and temperatures still around high teens to low 20s. nothing that special forjuly. teens to low 20s. nothing that specialforjuly. to friday, heading into the weekend, going to see further low pressures fall underneath that trough in the jetstream. fall underneath that trough in thejetstream. we fall underneath that trough in the jetstream. we are looking at further outbreaks of rain through friday and the weekend as well. friday, probably not starting up too badly across england and wales with sunshine for the rain spreading towards northern ireland and scotland. some of the debt whether arriving at the north—west of england and wales towards the end of friday. temperatures ranging from about 16 degrees in glasgow, not particularly warm forjuly. 21 in london, two or three degrees low average as well. to our weekend

forecast. one of these areas of low pressure will cross the uk come outbreaks of rain, behaviours looking to move across parts of northern england perhaps southern scotland and into the midlands as well. the temperature struggling the current rain band. looking at highs of around 70 degrees in liverpool. that is the weather front still trailing across parts of england and wales on sunday. through the weekend come outbreaks of rain that affects part of england and wales could be prolonged. a bit practical scotland and northern ireland but here, there will probably be one or two patting showers. take a look at the weather picture into next week. you can see overall little in the way of change. it stays unsettled with showers for longer spells of rain and temperatures continuing to be below average for this time of year. no change there.

live from washington, live from washington, this is bbc news. this is bbc news. millions across the globe continue to face red alerts, as the record heat as the record heat wave continues. wave continues. an american soldier has been detained in north korea, after crossing into the country illegally. plus, the us congress holds a hearing on the role of artificial intelligence in society. i'm sumi somaskanda. welcome to our show. we begin tonight with millions facing red alerts and extreme weather around the globe, as record—breaking heatwaves continue and wildfires rage. scientists warn it could be the "new normal", thanks to climate change.

here in the us, the city of phoenix, arizona broke